An on-schedule update and the next chapter half-written. Progress - finally! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter - I really do appreciate it.

Chapter Sixteen

It was only the need to avoid detection, to ensure that Virgil's sacrifice hadn't been in vain, that stopped Scott kicking the wall of the elevator to relieve his frustration. The three-second ride to the apartment below Penny's seemed to last an eternity, but finally he was out and able to vent his feelings with a few heartfelt curses before he got back in touch with his father.

"I know, Scott," the man said, his expression pretty much the same as the one his son was wearing. "But Virgil did the right thing. At least you're still free, and he was the one under suspicion after all. He'd have been in trouble anyway if you'd been captured - the police would have automatically assumed he'd been involved."

"What's happening now?" Scott asked, knowing that those on Tracy Island would still be monitoring the situation via Virgil's watch.

"Not a lot," Jeff told him. "I'm hoping Virgil's using the time to think up some reasonable explanation for having been able to get into a place that's been under police guard for the last few hours. If they find out about that secret entrance there's going to be trouble."

"They won't," Scott said. "But what do I do now?"

"Sit tight for a while," his father advised. "Let's see what happens with Virgil."

"Just sit here and do nothing?" Scott asked. "That's not how I do things, Dad. I don't know how you stand it when we're out on a rescue and you're stuck back at Base."

"Well I'm not doing nothing this time," Jeff said grimly. "As soon as I finish talking to you I'm going to find Virgil a lawyer. Then I guess I wait for my son to use his one phone call to tell me he's been arrested and pretend to be surprised just in case anyone at the police station can overhear us."

Scott scowled. "I wish Penny was here," he said. "I mean, I know we wouldn't be in this mess if she was, but she'd be able to sort this out for us. Has Parker got any suggestions?"

"Deny everything." Jeff allowed himself a brief smile. "He knows a lawyer Penny sometimes uses - I'm going to give her a call. I'll talk to you later, Scott."

"Yeah. Let me know what's going on."

"Will do. Will you go back to the Ritz?"

"I don't see that I can. If Virg doesn't manage to talk his way out of this, the police are going to be swarming all over the suite."

"You could stay where you are, I suppose."

"Bit risky. They might decide to search the whole block. No, I'll head back to the hotel and hide out in the basement until morning. It's as good a place as any."

"Won't that be a bit uncomfortable?" Jeff asked.

"It's the Ritz, Dad. Their junk is anyone else's luxury. I'll manage."

"Take care, son," Jeff said. "And for goodness sake, keep your head down. I don't want to lose another one of you."

"I'll be okay," Scott assured him, then signed off and flung himself into an oversized armchair, wishing he could do something - anything - to help.

There weren't many experiences that were new to Virgil Tracy - he'd been in plenty of trouble over the years: as a child, an adult, underground, on the ground, up in the air, in space... As a member of International Rescue he'd pretty much seen and done it all, but being arrested was definitely a new one, and something he could have done without, quite frankly.

The police had been more bewildered than suspicious at first, unable to believe that Virgil had been able to get into an apartment which was under guard. Virgil had guessed that would have been their first question, and had actually thought up an answer, albeit not one he particularly wanted to give.

"I came up via the fire escape," he told them. There was a way up, to be sure, though it didn't actually lead to Penny's apartment - to get to that balcony Virgil would have had to get onto the roof, shuffle across a narrow ledge then swing back down. He could do it, for sure, but it would have been an impossible feat for most people and he knew he'd find it hard to convince the men that he'd managed it, especially on a winter's night when the ledge was likely to be iced up. It was one of the reasons he and Scott hadn't bothered with that route on the way in.

One of the policemen went to check, but he didn't get far. "The door's locked," he said, tugging at the handle.

"57648," Virgil told him, nodding at the keypad.

The policeman punched in the numbers and the balcony door slid open. "Now how would you know that?" he asked.

Virgil breathed a silent apology to Penny - and indeed, to Scott - before announcing that he'd been having an affair with the aristocrat and had become adept in sneaking in and out of her apartment to avoid bumping into Simon.

He could only imagine the consternation that little statement was causing back on Tracy Island, but if it meant he could talk himself out of this situation and be on his way, then it would all be worth it.

It might have worked. He'd been doing a good job of convincing the men that in his anxiety about Penny he'd decided to sneak into the apartment to see if he could find any clues the police had missed, things only someone close to the woman might pick up on. Unfortunately for him, however, more officers began to arrive - and one of them wasn't in any mood to be persuaded of his innocence.

Inspector Garland looked absolutely delighted to see him, and Virgil's heart sank.

"Evening, Mr Tracy," the man said. "Or should I say, 'morning'? It's nearly 3am, after all."

Virgil said nothing.

"Still," the man continued, "At least this saves me the trouble of going to the Ritz to find you. I'd planned on having a few words later."

"Really?" Virgil asked. "I've told you everything I know."

"You didn't tell me about your relationship with Lady Penelope," Garland said sharply.

Virgil shrugged. "She'd just got married. I was trying to save her reputation."

"Quite the gentleman," Garland said. "You were happy about the marriage?"

"It was over between us," Virgil said, feeling more and more awkward the deeper he got into this charade. Maybe he should have let Scott take the fall for this - he wouldn't have had any trouble playing out this role.

"I wonder." Garland stared intently at Virgil for a moment, taking in the man from head to foot.

An uncomfortable thought struck Virgil. "Don't tell me you're thinking that I staged the whole kidnapping out of jealousy? My timing was off a bit, don't you think? They were already married by the time it happened."

Garland smiled. "I wasn't, actually. But you've just given me a possible motive for your involvement." He ignored Virgil's groan of frustration. "No, I was just wondering what you had in your pockets."

Virgil glanced down to take in the sight of his bulging pockets. How was he going to explain the money he'd placed there? He might well be the son of a billionaire, but twenty thousand pounds could hardly be explained away as a bit of loose change. He tried anyway, but it was clear Inspector Garland didn't believe him.

"Those bruises," Garland said, looking at Virgil's face once again. "Are you sure you got them from falling on the ice?"

"How else would I have got them?"

"Well, I can think of one way." Garland took a step closer and looked Virgil straight in the eye. "I said I had more questions for you, Mr Tracy. Perhaps you can answer one of them right now."

"Go ahead," Virgil said, trying not to let the wariness he was feeling show in his voice.

"Why do I have a statement from a taxi driver telling me that he drove you to the Dog and Duck pub last night? It's a favourite haunt of my old adversary Parker, you know. There's always some kind of trouble there. In fact, we had reports of some sort of bother last night: a report of a scuffle in the bar and the discharging of a weapon. The regulars aren't the sort to give much up to the police, Mr Tracy, but what we were able to establish was that a dark-haired man with an American accent was involved in some way."

Virgil bit back the retort he wanted to offer, which was that if the police had asked the right questions they'd have known he wasn't the man they were looking for - he'd still been in the clothes he'd worn to Penny's wedding, whilst Scott had been a lot less formally dressed. But he could hardly be expected to know that, could he?

"You're under arrest, Mr Tracy."

Virgil had been half-expecting this, but he still wasn't happy. "What for?"

Garland reeled off a list of offences relating to firearms and disturbing the peace. Virgil wasn't convinced that any of them would stick, but he knew the man wasn't going to risk letting him go, not when he could clearly see a link between Virgil and Parker, a link Virgil had only strengthened by being caught in the man's London home.

There was only one possible response:

"I want a lawyer."

As dawn was breaking and Virgil Tracy sat in a cell waiting to be formally interviewed, Penelope was bundled into the back seat of Sahara's car and strapped in safely. Eric Younger had to do it for her - Penny was incapable of movement, having been injected with some kind of drug that had left her body frozen even though her thought processes were as sharp as ever.

She'd have given anything for a chance to talk to Simon, to beg his forgiveness for all the lies and deceit and to tell him that she did care about him, but Sahara hadn't given her that opportunity. Penny had refused to beg for it, knowing that the other woman would just enjoy her humiliation before refusing the request anyway.

Now it was too late. She couldn't talk. But she could listen, and Sahara and Eric Younger were giving her plenty to think about.

"What are you up to?" Eric asked. "There's something you're not telling me."

Sahara laughed and flashed him a look of the utmost innocence that didn't fool anyone. "I'm taking Penny for a little trip. I told you. It's all part of the plan."

"Whose plan, though?" Eric pressed. "The General's getting what he wants out of Ross and the prince, but this whole thing with her-" he indicated Penny, aware that she'd realise that the military man in question was the ruler of the island dictatorship where he and Sahara had fled after their previous encounter with the agent "-that's nothing to do with him."

"You want revenge for her ruining everything with Sir Reuben, don't you?" Sahara asked.

"Not particularly," Eric said. "That set-up was never going to last. Not for me, anyway. I didn't have the ties to that place that you did."

Sahara lost her smile for a moment, but her voice was as light as ever when she replied. "Well, since you're not bothered about getting your own back on her, you don't need to worry about what I'm up to, do you?"

"Oh, but I do worry. I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on things here, but instead you've got me running round doing all these other jobs for you. Capturing Scott Tracy-"

"You lost him," Sahara pointed out.

"We both did," Eric retorted. "You're obsessed with that man, you know that?"

"Something Penny and I have in common," Sahara smiled.

"Obsessed with the whole family if you ask me. You didn't get the father at the wedding, so now you want me to catch the brother."

"Which you could have done yesterday."

"Those girls were all over him, I had no chance to pick him up. I'll get him later. After I've caught up on some sleep."

So, Penny thought, they wanted Virgil in order to get hold of Scott. Wasn't she bait enough? Clearly they didn't think so. The hurt that thought brought with it distracted her for a moment and by the time she'd tuned back into the conversation, it had moved on.

"Still no sign of the body."

"The currents in the Thames are tricky. It can take days for something to wash up. Don't worry about it, everything's going to be fine."

"I hope so." Eric Younger didn't look convinced and Penny couldn't help wondering if his heart was really in this. She'd have loved for the conversation to continue - there was so much more to learn, not least how Sebastian Swayne fitted into all of this, but it appeared that Sahara was ready to leave. What she wanted with her, Penny didn't know, and she couldn't help the fear that swept over her. As helpless as she was right now, the woman could do anything to her and she'd have no way of preventing it.

Virgil's lawyer was a woman named Marsha Locke. His first thought upon meeting her was that he wanted to paint her. Not because she was any great beauty - far from it - but simply because of the riot of colour he could use as he captured her angular face and figure. She had the brightest green eyes Virgil had ever seen, her hair was jet-black - obviously dyed given that she had to be in her late fifties - her lips scarlet and her fingertips yellow. Virgil had guessed she was a heavy smoker even before the occasional hacking cough began to punctuate their discussion. Parker had recommended her as someone who Penny had had dealings with on previous occasions. Someone who was utterly ruthless in the defence of her clients and a woman who could be trusted to keep a secret, should anything to do with International Rescue need to be revealed. Virgil really hoped it wouldn't come to that.

A short time later, Inspector Garland was throwing more awkward questions Virgil's way.

"Why did you go to the Dog and Duck, Mr Tracy?"

"I..."

"Don't deny it. Aside from the evidence of the taxi driver, we have witness statements to the effect that having returned to the Ritz stating that you were exhausted and fit for nothing more than your bed, you suddenly rushed back out after receiving a phone call. You took a thousand pounds with you before you left. Why was that, Mr Tracy?"

Virgil glanced across at the lawyer who nodded at him.

"Okay, I admit I was there. I had a phone call from a friend."

"And who would that friend be?"

"Parker's niece." Virgil hoped Scott would be able to get hold of Rosie and persuade her to play along with this. He was just thankful he still had his watch. He'd been worried that it would have been taken off him when he'd been brought in, but he'd been allowed to keep it, the custody sergeant informing him that only if he was charged would he lose it. Virgil really hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"His niece?"

"Yes. Rosie."

"And why would this lady be calling you, Mr Tracy?"

"She was upset about Parker going missing. I was worried about her."

"To the extent of paying a taxi driver five times the going rate to take you halfway across London in a blizzard? It's no wonder the man remembers you. How do you know this girl?"

Virgil took a deep breath. He knew what reaction his next words were going to get.

"I've become friendly with Parker over the years. He took me to that pub a few times and I met Rosie there. We became... close. I wanted to make sure she was okay."

Garland snorted. "Another conquest, Mr Tracy?"

Virgil attempted to look nonchalant. He wasn't so keen on the general public perception of the Tracys as a bunch of playboys, but it was certainly going to work in his favour here.

"I hear you had lunch with the Sullivan sisters and their cousin yesterday, too," Garland said. "Perhaps we should lock you up just so the local boys can have a chance with our girls." He was the only one to laugh at his joke.

"I don't have all day, Inspector," Marsha Locke told him.

"Very well." Inspector Garland leaned forward, a sharpness in his voice that hadn't been there before. "Mr Tracy, can I ask you why Aloysius Parker's fingerprints are on a mirror in your suite at the Ritz? "

Virgil drew in a sharp breath. He'd been expecting his things to be searched, thankful that he had nothing amongst his possessions which might identify him as a member of International Rescue, but he'd never expected that there would have been a way to link him with Parker.

"He came up to see me a few days ago. He had a tip on a horse in the National." Well, the tip was true, even if the visit wasn't.

"We spoke to the chambermaid - that mirror was thoroughly cleaned on the day of the wedding. Parker could only have been there after he was supposedly kidnapped."

"Or maybe the woman isn't as good at her job as she claims," Virgil said, hoping his voice didn't betray his growing anxiety. "I should put in a complaint. I mean, you pay several thousand pounds for a suite, you'd expect it to be cleaned properly."

"You've been ordering room service for two since your father left," Garland went on. "Please don't tell me you're going to claim you've been entertaining yet another lady there."

"I've got a big appetite. Ask my grandmother." Virgil was aware how feeble his answer sounded.

"So you haven't been providing Parker with a place to stay since the kidnapping?"

"Of course not."

Inspector Garland pounced. "Mr Tracy, why aren't you surprised to learn that Aloysius Parker is not one of the kidnap victims?"

The tension in the room was palpable. Virgil could only stare at the man, unable to believe he'd missed the significance of Garland's questions. The general public hadn't yet been told about Parker's transition from victim to suspect, so how could he have known unless he was himself involved? At least, that was how Garland saw it, and who could blame him?

"Mr Tracy, I'm arresting you on suspicion of harbouring a criminal."

"That's ridiculous!"

Garland ignored both Virgil's and Marsha Locke's protests, calmly reading Virgil his rights. "You're also a key suspect in the kidnapping," he continued. "There will be a lot more questions later, I'm sure."

"But what possible motive could I have for kidnapping the Archbishop of Canterbury?" Virgil asked. "Or any of the others?"

"You tell me. I wonder if it gets boring after a while, living a life of luxury on that island of yours. Maybe you wanted a bit of fun. If Parker's the friend you say he is, well, maybe he offered you the chance to do something a little more interesting with your time. This is a fascinating case, you know. Imagine being the person who came up with the plan. Though maybe you don't have to imagine..."

"But I was kidnapped myself when I was younger," Virgil protested. "I wouldn't put anyone else through that."

"An experience like that can certainly damage a person," Garland agreed. "I've known some terrible criminals in my time, Mr Tracy, and quite a few of them blame some childhood trauma for their actions. But maybe you'd like to confess now and put everyone out of their misery?"

Virgil shook his head and sank back in his chair. "Can he do this?" he asked Marsha.

"Unfortunately, he can. Don't worry, Mr Tracy, I'll put in a bail application as soon as I get out of here. I assume money is no object?" Both she and Virgil knew they'd just be going through the motions. No judge on earth would allow someone out on bail for something like this, not when so many high-profile people were involved and the whole world was watching, something that Garland was quick to point out as he asked Virgil to hand over his possessions - including his watch.

With a few final words which were intended to reassure him but failed, Marsha left.

Now Virgil was truly on his own.